How-To: Find a Classical Music in Salem, Oregon

Step One: Find Salem. It’s the state capitol of Oregon, located in the Willamette Valley.

Step Two: Locate the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem. It will be at 707, 13th Street SE, Suite 275.

Step Three: Find out what’s playing. That can be done either by visiting the Symphony Association in person, calling or visiting their Web site. There are around ten concerts annually, with everything from piano, violin, classical bass and guitar concertos.

Step Four: Buy tickets. Symphony subscribers will have priority seating, and the rest is first come, first serve, so it’s best to buy tickets early. Subscriptions can range from $69 – $220 in price, depending on which series you buy into.

Step Five: Decide what concert to attend. Yes, yes, it will be difficult because they are all tempting.

Step Six: Purchase tickets.

Step Seven: Attend concert. Sit back and enjoy listening to some of the best classical music that Salem, Oregon has to offer.

Step Eight: If you liked that, there are other places that provide classical music in the Willamette Valley. Western Oregon University nearly always has a concert of some sort going on and the tickets are a bargain. The Salem Chamber Orchestra is also a good place to go and is also very affordable.

Dear Diary,

Normal day. Woke up and resisted urge to skip classes. Remember the good old days when we could do that? College kind of requires attendance. Notes to take, things to remember

Rachel called—thinks she might be getting back together with the ex. Whatever.

Wanted to do something tonight. Maybe go to concert. Too bad all Salem concerts expensive or boring. Checked Western Oregon University website and found there was something going on—a guest artist or something. Didn’t even know Monmouth had concerts. Thought only Salem did. Free, too. Seriously good price. Dragged Owen along. He likes music, too. Was actually a lot of fun. Was some singer/songwriter guitarist. Very talented. Cute hair. Nice that we didn’t even have to drive to Salem, which totally saved on gas. (Seriously, prices getting ridiculous.) Have decided to stay in Monmouth whenever I need a music hit. Salem concert has got nothing on us now.

PS. Rachel called afterward. No reunion with ex, thank goodness.

Top Ten Reasons to See a Jazz Concert at WOU

10. Concerts at Western Oregon University are extremely affordable, sometimes even free. So there’s no strain on your wallet.

9. The musicians are all extremely talented and some (like Gordon Lee) are very well known within the jazz studies community.

8. You’re helping support the music school at Western Oregon University.

7. Its local. Finding the Rice Auditorium is simple and there is no shortage of parking.

6. Trying to impress someone? Take them on a date to an Oregon jazz concert. It not only makes you appear cultured, but it will also be fun.

5. No reservations are required! Tickets can be purchased at the door, making spur of the moment visits easy.

4. There is a lot of variety within the concerts—there are many different combos and musicians playing. They can be professionals or even students at Western Oregon University.

3. Rice Auditorium (the place where all concerts are held) is a relatively new building. It can hold large audiences without feeling crowded and smaller audiences can sit close to the stage.

2. Remember, it is affordable.

1. It is more enriching than watching another episode of “Desperate Housewives.”

DJ: Hey, we’re live on 106.22 Eugene Bop and today we’ve got a very special guest on today. Everybody put your hands together for Victor Miles, a student at University of Oregon. We keep getting emails asking why the world needs another jazz radio station, so we decided to bring in an expert. Thanks for coming in, Victor.

Miles: Thanks for having me—glad to be here.

DJ: So, you’re studying jazz at University of Oregon?

Miles: That’s right. Eugene actually has one of the best jazz studies programs in the whole U.S. We study the music itself, its history and the music business. It’s really great.

DJ: Sounds like it.

Miles: The goal of the program is… well, I go this excerpt off the university Web site, is it all right if I read it?

DJ: Go ahead.

Miles: It says, “our goal is to create an environment for learning that stimulates, recognizes, and rewards creativity and outstanding achievement in performance, composition, arranging, research, and education.    To this end, we are committed to providing our students with the most thorough education available in jazz and opportunities for personal growth and successes in the field that are second to none.” And that basically sums it up.

DJ: Impressive! I hear you’re from Washington.

Miles: That’s right. I came down here because Oregon has some of the best places to study music. It was a hard choice between University of Oregon and Western Oregon University, because both of them have awesome programs, but in the end I decided I wanted to live in a bigger city.

DJ: (laughing) So Eugene, it was!

Miles: That’s right.

DJ: So back to our listener’s question—why should our station be playing jazz? What’s so great about it?

Miles: Jazz has one of the richest histories of all music genres. It originates from Africa, when slaves were being brought over to America to work in the fields. The music mingled with all of the different European influences that were at work in America, so jazz really is the all-American music.

DJ: Like baseball is the all-American sport.

Miles: Exactly.

DJ: Well, listeners, we’ve got to go to a commercial, but don’t switch off that radio just yet. We’ll be right back.

Rachel bit down on her pencil’s eraser, then spat out a few bits. “Okay, this is why I hate crossword puzzles.”

Owen looked up from his newspaper. “I told you that you didn’t have to do that. It’s my homework.”

She glared down at the offending piece of paper. “It was sitting on the table, mocking me. I had to complete it. Now what’s a five letter word that means ‘more than one instrument?’”

Owen thought about it for a moment. “Combo.”

“Perfect,” she muttered, scribbling in the answer. “What kind of professor makes a music-themed crossword puzzle for homework?”

Owen sipped his orange juice serenely. “The kind that doesn’t want to grade 45 papers.”

“Good point.” She frowned at the puzzle. “Okay, instrumental ensemble…?”

“Orchestra.”

“Do we even have one of those around?”

He gave her one of those looks, one that was one part exasperation, two parts good-natured amusement. “Um, yeah.”

“Really?” Rachel chewed on the eraser again. “In Portland?”

“Eugene, actually,” he said mildly. “I went and saw a chamber orchestra concert in Eugene. It was put on by the Oregon Mozart Players. It was really good.”

“An orchestra in Eugene, Oregon?” She stared at him.

“We’re not barbarians,” he laughed. “We have classical music, jazz, orchestras, concertos—the whole shebang.”

“Was it boring?”

He pointed a finger at her. “Orchestras are never boring. Especially when played by really talented and passionate people. The music at this Oregon concert was unbelievable. You would have enjoyed it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Rachel fell silent, and then looked up again. “Okay, six letter word for stringed instrument?”

(Owen_02 has entered chat room)

Owen_02: Um, hello?

(Rach-Rach has entered chat room)

Owen_02: About time.

Rach-Rach: Hey—I’m not late. Right on time. Not my fault you’re freakishly early.

Owen_02: I’ve got other homework to do. I want to get this done. Tara isn’t even on yet.

Rach-Rach: Really? Why not?

(Tara13 has entered chat room)

Tara13: Sense of self-preservation. Hey guys.

Owen_02: Finally.

Tara13: Is he being freakishly punctual again?

Rach-Rach: Yep.

Owen_02: Okay, lay it on me. What have you found?

Tara13: This is what I get for taking a marketing class. Fine, fine. I’ve been looking into ways to advertise Eugene, Oregon, and all I keep getting are concerts.

Rach-Rach: What kind? Rap? Pop?

Tara13: Think older. Symphony Orchestras and choral music choirs and some Bach festival.

Owen_02: We can work with that. Go on.

Tara13: First there are choir concerts—we’ve got the Eugene Jazz Concert Choir…

Rach-Rach: Kind of a self-explanatory name.

Tara13: Tell me about it. Then we’ve got the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble. That one has a wide variety of concerts, everything from opera to classic rock.

Owen_02: What about the Bach thing?

Tara13: Happens every summer and put on by University of Oregon. It began in 1970 and has continued on since then. It’s apparently one of Eugene’s biggest events of the year.

Rach-Rach: Like the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Tara13: Exactly.

Owen_02: So in our pamphlet, we should focus on music.

Rach-Rach: More original than football.

Tara13: Sounds good to me, as long as someone else does a bit of research. I’m tired.

Owen_02: I’ll look for more stuff in the area. Continue the concert theme, only find places in Corvallis, Monmouth, and Salem. There’s got to be more…

(Rach-Rach has left chat room)

Owen_02: And maybe we could attend an Oregon orchestra concert or something…

(Tara13 has left chat room)

Owen_02: …Or the choir. Sounds interesting to me.

Owen_02: Wait, guys? Guys? Tell me you didn’t log out.

Owen_02: I need better project partners.

(Chat room is empty)

“Owen, what do you know about Oregon jazz studies?”

Owen looked up from the television. “Why?”

“Research paper.” Rachel flopped down on the couch, brandishing a pencil. “Seriously, the only thing I know about jazz is that it’s usually played in lounges and stuff. So how do you define jazz and why should I care?”

He gave her a disparaging look. “Jazz—a mix of African origins, Southern American and European influences. And you should care because you live amidst jazz legends.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Humble, aren’t you?”

“Not me.” He grinned. “Here—Oregon. And both Western Oregon University and University of Oregon. The former has Gordon Lee, a well-known composer and jazz pianist. And the latter has an award-winning jazz department.”

“So Oregon is basically swimming in a sea of jazz talent?”

He laughed and nodded. “Basically.”

Rachel began scribbling on a notepad. “Okay, what else?”

Holding up three fingers, Owen said seriously, “Three words. Portland Jazz Festival. It takes place every February, during Black History Month, to commemorate both the city and jazz itself. Huge event. You wouldn’t just be swimming in talent—you’d be drowning in it.”

She narrowed her eyes skeptically. “And all this talent comes at the low, low price of…?”

“Actually,” he said, “the tickets aren’t grossly expensive.”

Scoffing, she waved her hand at herself. “Um, hello. Poor college student. I found three quarters in my jacket pocket today and thought I’d hit the jackpot. Can’t imagine what I would’ve done if it had been a whole dollar. My heart might have given out.”

“Fine,” he chuckled. “Western’s jazz is usually free. You can appreciate it here.”

She stood, tucking the notepad under one arm. “Sounds good. Now I’m off to Google ‘Oregon jazz.’”

“He,” he called after her. “Don’t have a heart attack, but I think I saw some pennies on the floor near the stairs.”

“Oh, har, har.”

Jacob began thumbing through the phonebook. “Dude, there are no restaurants around here.”

Owen eyed the phonebook. “Couldn’t find a Zagat guide?”

“Work with me here.” Jacob swallowed. “I need a place to go.”

Sitting down at the table, Owen said, “I need more specifics.”

“Don’t laugh. I’ve… got a date.”

“Not laughing.”

“With Rachel.”

Owen choked back a snort of laughter. Keeping his expression neutral, he answered. “Rachel? My friend, Rachel?” He cleared his throat. “Well, why not take her to the Oregon Symphony?”

“Why would I do that?”

Owen began ticking off the reasons on his fingers. “One—classical music makes you appear smart and sensitive. Two—it’ll cost about the same as dinner, but there’ s no chance of garlic breath.”

“Good point.” Jacob nodded. “What else?”

“Three,” Owen continued, “an Oregon symphony is an excuse to dress up.”

Jacob frowned. “How is that a good thing?”

“You get to see her after she spends hours prepping. Trust me on this—gorgeous.”

Owen considered that. “Okay… Oregon Symphony.” Making a face, he said, “But I’m not really a classical music person.”

“There’s more than just classical—there’s a lot of different kinds of concerts. You can find something you’ll like,” Owen said.

Jacob gave him a skeptical look. “What about the drive?”

“What, did your car suddenly go on strike?” Owen asked.

“No, but have you seen gas prices these days?”

Owen shrugged. “Fine. Find a concert here on the Western Oregon University campus. Same advantages as the Oregon Symphony without the gas money.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jacob pushed away from the table and stood. “I’ll go look into that. What are you doing tonight?”

Owen rolled his eyes. “What do you think? I’m going to buy you a Zagat guide.”

Recipe for a Night at the Oregon Orchestra

Ingredients:

Portland, Oregon

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

76 full time musicians

Tickets

One concert (can be classical, pops, youth or special—adjust according to taste)

Directions:

First, decided which concert you would like to attend. Then order the tickets. If planning to attend more than one orchestra event, you might consider subscribing to the current season. Then you drive to Portland, Oregon. The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is located at the corner of Broadway and Main in downtown Portland. Dinner beforehand is optional. Find seats and watch performance. Enjoy the Oregon Orchestra.

If you are on a financial diet (or trying to save on cash), you can substitute the location of the orchestra. Instead of the one in Portland, go to Western Oregon University in Monmouth. There are concerts there for a fraction of the price.

Dear Diary,

Okay, so Owen finally got his dearest wish. He convinced me to go with him to the Portland Jazz Festival (actually, he has some pictures of me sleeping, mouth hanging open and drooling and he threatened to post them online—I had no choice). I mean, jazz isn’t really my thing. I’m ashamed to say pop is. And techno—guilty pleasure. Really guilty. But anyway, we drove to Portland (note: drive from Monmouth to Portland isn’t bad so long as the traffic doesn’t suck) and it took forever to find a parking space.

Car parked, we quickly made our way to the festival itself. Owen managed to get his hands on tickets to some evening show. Kind of expected it all to take place outside, because that’s what you think of when someone says ‘festival,’ but it was inside a ballroom. Which was good, because it was raining outside. Typical Portland.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. I didn’t fall asleep. Kind of expected to, because Oregon jazz totally not my thing. But the music was good. Some people famous in the musical world were playing (in other words, Owen knew exactly who they were and I had no idea). But they had saxophones and drums and a lot of other instruments I’m not really familiar with and, wow, did they know how to use them. Didn’t have to fake my interest for Owen, which was a relief. Genuinely interesting.

Not that I’ll ever admit that to Owen. He’s smug enough as it is.

Drive back to Monmouth consisted of Owen raving about how awesome it was and me pleading with him to keep his eyes on the road. Think I’ll drive next time. I think there will be a next time.

Mostly because Owen is already looking into tickets for next year.